Guns discovered in Minneapolis lake reveal unusual move by police in 1927
What looked like a mob-era dumping ground at the bottom of Minneapolis’ Bde Maka Ska turned out to be something stranger: a cluster of rusted pistols deliberately sunk by police nearly a century ago, not to hide evidence, but to keep them from ever being used again.
“I always kind of suspected in the back of my mind that I would come across a gun here at some point in time. I just had no idea it would be 16 to 18 in the same spot,” said Withers.
At first, Withers suspected the guns were tossed by gangsters during the 1920s or 1930s, possibly connected to organized crime figures like Kid Cann.
“Originally, I thought with the history of organized crime that Minneapolis had, I believe that I had found someone that was either giving up their evil ways or someone that was getting rid of some evidence,” said Withers.
However, research led him to a 1927 newspaper article about then-Minneapolis Police Chief Frank Brunskill dumping a bushel of firearms into what was then called Lake Calhoun.
The article said the pistols and rifles had been used in serious crimes, and Brunskill wanted to ensure they did not end up back in criminal hands.
In 1927, the solution to dangerous, or merely unwanted, handguns was simple: toss them in the closest deep body of water.